California English Language Development Test - CalEdFacts

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Federal law (Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act [ESEA]) and state law (Education Code [EC]sections
313 and 60810 through 60812) require a statewide English language
proficiency test that local educational agencies (LEAs) must administer
to students in kindergarten through grade twelve whose primary language
is not English and to students previously identified as English learners
(ELs) who have not been reclassified as fluent English proficient
(RFEP). California Code of Regulations, Title 5, Section 10510, defines the test as the California English Language Development Test (CELDT).

The CELDT was developed to:

Identify students with limited English proficiency.

Determine the level of English language proficiency of those students.

Assess the progress of limited English-proficient students in
acquiring the skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing in
English.

Student Participation

LEAs are required to administer the CELDT to all students whose
home language is not English within 30 calendar days after they enroll
for the first time in a California public school. LEAs also are required
to administer the CELDT annually to identified ELs until they are
designated RFEP during the annual assessment window from July 1 through
October 31. Additionally, Section 3302 of Title III of the ESEA (20 United States Code Section
7012) indicates that LEAs that receive Title III funds shall, not later
than 30 days after the beginning of the school year or within two weeks
of the child being enrolled in a language instruction program after the
beginning of the school year, inform parents or guardians of the
reasons for the identification of their child as an EL and that the
child is in need of placement in a language instruction program.

Content and Format

The CELDT assesses the four domains of listening, speaking,
reading, and writing in English and is aligned to the English-language
development (ELD) standards adopted by the State Board of Education
(SBE). In California, EC Section 60810 has been amended to
authorize early literacy assessment of ELs in kindergarten and grade one
(K-1) commencing with the 2009–10 school year. The early literacy
assessment must be administered for three years or until
July 1, 2012. A report on the results of the administration of the
early literacy assessment and the administrative process is due to the
Legislature no later than January 1, 2013. The early literacy assessment
was designed to be age and developmentally appropriate, and to the
greatest extent possible, to minimize the testing burden on these young
students.

Reporting and Using Results

In 2010, the SBE adopted performance level cut scores for the K–1
reading and writing assessments, modified the English proficient level
for K–1 students given the inclusion of reading and writing scale
scores, and allowed for differential weights in the calculation of the
Overall performance level for K–1 students (45 percent each for
listening and speaking, and 5 percent each for reading and writing).

The CELDT results are reported by the following performance
levels: beginning, early intermediate, intermediate, early advanced, and
advanced. The CELDT results show the overall English performance level
attained by students as well as performance in each domain by level.
Individual student reports and student data files are sent to the school
district. Districts must inform parents of test results within 30
calendar days of receiving student results from the testing contractor,
or, as indicated in the Student Participation section above, within two
weeks of the child being enrolled in a language instruction program
after the beginning of the school year.

CELDT data are used to calculate Annual Measurable Achievement
Objectives (AMAOs) 1 and 2 as required by Title III. Each LEA receiving
Title III funds is accountable for meeting the AMAOs established by the
SBE beginning with the 2003–04 school year. The CDE provides LEAs with
annual Title III accountability reports.

The CDE posts three types of reports (all assessments, annual
assessments, and initial assessments) at four levels (state, county,
district, and school) annually. Summary results are reported for all
students and for a number of reporting categories that include gender,
enrollment in specified programs, and primary languages. These results
are posted on the CDE CELDT Web site.

Reclassification guidelines established by the SBE clarify the EC criteria in Section 313(d) to be used in reclassifying a pupil from EL to RFEP.

For more information regarding the CELDT, contact the CELDT Office by phone at 916-319-0784 or by e-mail at celdt@cde.ca.gov. Information is also available on the CDE CELDT Web site.